Spinach Noodle Salad Recipe

The girls and I played with our pasta maker today and made spinach noodles. Making homemade noodles was so much fun and wasn't that complicated. We sautéed them in a bit of garlic butter for lunch and used the leftovers for a dinner noodle salad. I loaded it with tofu, leftover roasted chicken pieces (for the non-vegetarians), sugar snap peas, shiitake mushrooms and dried cherries for a little tart flavor. I dressed the noodle salad with miso and tahini vinaigrette. You could add tomatoes or red bell peppers for a pop of color but I thought the cherries were sufficient.

This cold Asian-style noodle salad can be prepared hours in advance if the miso vinaigrette is kept on the side and mixed right before serving.

Directions

Remove as much excess water as possible from the frozen spinach. Blend in a food processor.

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs with sugar (if used) until they're pale; the texture of the eggs will be thicker.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the whole wheat flour and 1¼ cups all-purpose flour (the remaining flour is for dusting the noodles so they dosn't stick). Add salt. Form a well and pour the spinach and egg mixture into the indentation. Form a dough ball and knead the dough until combined. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon peanut oil. Cover with a damp towel, place the bowl in a warm spot and let it rest for about 1 hour.

Divide the dough into 3 portions. The dough should be neither too sticky nor too dry. Dust a flat work space (or a board) with a generous amount of flour. Roll out each ball with a rolling pin, then pass it through a pasta roller machine, using the thickest setting. Dust the pasta sheet with a little flour on both sides to prevent it from sticking to the machine. Repeat 2-3 times. For the last time through, use setting "4" of the Kitchenaid flat roller pasta attachment. Last, pass the sheets through the spaghetti cutter.

Keep the noodle strands separated and dusted with flour; let them air dry for at least 30 minutes, hanging the noodles on long chopsticks over large, deep mixing bowls.

Prepping the cherries: Soak the cherries in the hot green tea for at least half an hour. Strain and reserve the cherries.

Frying tofu: Drain any liquid from the tofu. Pat dry with a paper towel. Slice the block of tofu into 1-½" thick pieces. and cut into rectangles. In a small pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of oil for about 2 minutes. Add the tofu one piece at a time, making sure the tofu pieces don't touch each other. Lower the heat to medium. Cook for 2 minutes; the tofu will start to pop and increase in volume. Flip each piece and cook about a minute longer. Transfer to a platter. In the remaining oil, add the shiitake mushrooms; cook until lightly golden, then add the sugar snap peas. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat. Toss for about a minute. Transfer to a platter and allow to cool.

Cooking spinach egg noodles: On a large platter, untangle and separate half the amount of the noodles (I cooked the rest with butter garlic). Fill a large pot with water. Bring to a boil. Place the noodles in the boiling water, return the water to a boil then lower the heat to medium-low. That way the noodles are cooked evenly all the way through. Salt the water half way through the cooking process (it will bring out the natural flavor of the noodles and they will be softer) and keep stirring every now and then so the noodles don't stick to the bottom. Cook for about 10 minutes. Drain the noodles and discard the liquid. Separate the noodles, by creating little nests (so they don't get too tangled and the noodles aren't stuck to each other) and drizzle with more oil. Set aside.

Place the spinach noodles with cilantro and curly parsley in a large bowl. Pour the miso dressing over the noodles. Add the fried tofu, shredded chicken (if using), shiitake mushrooms, sugar snap peas and dried cherries. Complete with lettuce and spinach. Toss well.

Serve at room temperature.

Bon appétit!

Tips

You could prepare the noodles without spinach but might want to add a pop of color to the salad with warm-colored veggies.